


You Could Say I'm Curious

by Megane



Category: Kyoukai no Kanata, 境界の彼方 | Beyond the Boundary
Genre: Awkward Flirting, F/F, First Kiss, Romantic Interest, awkward teens
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-11-23
Updated: 2014-12-01
Packaged: 2018-01-02 10:14:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1055565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Megane/pseuds/Megane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She's been a growing focus of her attention. Mitsuki wanted to know more, but she needed a hands-on experience to learn from. She was going with her inquistive instincts, but honestly, she had no idea what she was doing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I'll Pursue.

The bespectacled spirit warrior was an interesting find in this city. _Especially_ in this city. On top of that, the cursed spirit warrior happened upon an immortal half- _youmu_. Yes, things _always_ got interesting with those two around. And yet for some reason, the younger Nase girl found herself transfixed on the cursed warrior. There was something about her that was just so… fascinating. Mitsuki couldn’t place it, but she decided to go after it.

Maybe she was just like her brother in that way. When something gained her attention, she kept hidden focus on it. She secretly looked into it, learning more and understanding what she could from all angles. But there were some things that couldn’t be understood from textbook study, like Mirai. This troublesome, petite girl was a subject to be studied up close.

But she was hard to abstractly approach. Being too direct might scare her away. After an entire school day of thinking, Mitsuki decided to take the only route she could at the moment.

            “Kuriyama-san.”

            “Oh! Senpai.”

            Mitsuki pulled her hair behind her ear, looking to the other female. “If you could, please come by my house after school.”

            “Heh? Is something wrong?”

            “Not really.” The brunet looked into her bag, fishing for something in particular. “I just wanted to talk to you about something important.” She pulled a lollipop out of her bag, unwrapping it. “Please come by in an hour.” As she began to leave, she added, “Text me if you can’t come.”

            “A-ah, okay!”

Mirai watched her classmate leave. She was a bit confused. She wasn’t sure if she should be concerned, or excited, or what. She shifted her weight and almost jumped out of her skin when Hiroomi and Akihito caught up to her.

            “Huh? My little sister invited you over?” Hiroomi asked, tilting his head.

            “Yeah… Should I be worried?”

            “And she didn’t say specifically what it was?”

            “N-no… She didn’t hint towards anything.”

            “Hm…” Unhelpfully, the Nase shrugged, shaking his head slightly. “Sorry, but I can’t help you there. But you’re lucky.” Mirai perked her head up. “You’ll be able to see my little sister’s room and how meticulously decorated it must be.”

            “I take it you’re not allowed in there,” Akihito piped up, tilting his head over towards the other male.

            “She plays hard to get and barred me from her room.”

            “Barred? That’s pretty harsh.”

            “It’s a true battle of love!” Hiroomi sighed dramatically, placing one hand on his chest and lifting the other one towards the sky. He wandered farther from them and then turned around, placing a hand on his hip.

            “Kuriyama-san. Are you coming?”

            “Ah! She told me to meet her in an hour, so I’ll be by later.”

            “Aaah. I’ll see you in a little bit. Bye bye.”

Akihito gave a dismissing noise in response. Both he and Mirai raised their hands waving the other student away. Mirai’s phone went off as she and Akihito walked, and it was from Ayaka.

            “Kuriyama-san. Are you busy right now?”

            “N-no! Not at all.”

            “Could you please swing by for a little bit?”

            “I’ll be there soon.”

She ended the call and bowed to Akihito, excusing herself to the shop. The blond waved her off, and they went separate ways. She was thankful for the pleasant distraction of being dressed up and photographed. Mitsuki, on the other hand, wasn’t so easily distracted. She stared at the book on her desk, gazing blankly at its contents. Her phone vibrated, and absently, she reached over to accept the call.

            “Yes, big bro?”

            _“I heard you invited over Kuriyama.”_

            “We’re not staying here. This is just an easier place to meet up.”

            _“Oh? Where are you going?”_

            “I don’t want to tell you—you’ll just follow us around.”

            _“What sharp accusations.”_

She huffed in response, tilting her head against her palm.

            _“Mitsuki.”_

            “Mm?”

            _“Is everything okay?”_

            “Yeah. You could say… I’m just a little curious.”

            _“Oh~?”_

But who knew where this curiosity would go?


	2. Upside Down.

The hour rolled by quickly just as she had hoped, and Mirai was sure that she was running late. The photo shoot ran a little longer than usual. This time, she played the part of a librarian. At least the outfit was modest, and yet, somehow, she still managed to feel a little risqué while posing. She shook the thought away and pulled out her phone as she stood outside. She missed a text message that came eleven minutes prior to the end of her session.

Ah! It was from Mitsuki-senpai.

            _Sorry to inform you last minute, but could you meet me by the park? The one nearest you that is. I’ll be there soon._

Well, at least she felt a little better. While the Nase household was rather beautiful, Izumi had a very strong presence and gave Mirai chills. That woman was powerful, quiet, and critical. She was a silent menace—an absolute threat! I-It was better for the cursed glasses wearer to stay away. She began to jog towards the station when she realized she should text Mitsuki back. And she wasn’t on the train until she actually did so.

            _Sorry I’m so late!!! I’m on my way, I swear!!!!_

Mitsuki sighed at the message and typed a simple _It’s fine_. in reply. That poor girl could get so easily worked up. Maybe it was her naivety that was so refreshing? Her sudden bursts of likeable energy? That’s what she hoped to find out. Oh, well she supposed she had a bit of time before Mirai appeared. Maybe she should go back to that shop she passed on the way to the park… 

The bespectacled warrior arrived in a breathless fit. She bent over, almost dropping her bag onto the floor as she caught her breath. “Sorry I’m—huh?” She looked up and saw that the other female wasn’t there. Huh, how did that happen?

            “Huh? But I thought…” she began, picking up her phone and gazing at her screen.

            “Sorry I disappeared,” came Mitsuki’s voice.

Kuriyama spun around quickly, regarding the other female. Her eyes lit up at the two ice cream cones in her friend’s hands.

            “I wanted to bring you something, so. Here.”

            “I-I can’t accept that!” Mirai stated, trembling and turning away.

            “If you don’t hurry, it’ll melt.”

            “T-t-thank you for the treat.”

The brunette made her way to the bench, and Mirai, after a few unsure seconds, followed suit. They sat together in somewhat tense silence. Mirai’s small lips mouthed at the treat. Mitsuki sat in peaceful silence.

            “Uhm, I don’t want to seem impatient or anything, but. Why did you arrange this meeting?”

Mirai looked over to her companion and was surprised to _just_ see the blush on Mitsuki’s face before she turned her head away. 

            “I just wanted to talk to you.”

            “Is that all? I-I mean, not to sound rude or anything, but you made it sound pretty important, so I was worried it was…”

            “Don’t worry about any of that,” Mitsuki stated, turning her head towards the other. “I just…”

Mirai sat there, wanting to say something but staying quiet. She ate her ice cream and watched as the other female straightened her posture ever so slightly.

            “I guess I’ll just come right out with it!” Nase stated, eyes closing with her statement.

            Mirai lowered her ice cream, tilting her head slightly. “Senpai?”

She was more than surprised when lips met hers. The kiss was so sudden she actually ended up dropping her ice cream onto both their legs. They pulled apart in shock, and Mirai let out a loud groan. How embarrassing! She not only dropped food, but she dropped it during an important moment. The kiss... Her ice cream..! Her heart broke in two parts at once.

            “S-s-s-sorry, ice cream! I mean, senpai! I didn’t mean—i-it’ll come out though right. Oh no. I really liked that flavour…”

            “I can buy you another one,” Mitsuki stated, cheeks still red. She was a bit thankful that the spill happened. It would have saved her from _that_ awkward moment.

            “No! I couldn’t! You already bought one for me, and I dropped it.”

Admittedly, it wasn’t her fault she dropped it, but she wasn’t ready to acknowledge that just yet. 

            “Here.”

            “Huh?” Mirai tilted her head up.

            “You can have mine.”

            “Senpai?”

            “I should really cut back on sweets anyway. It’ll give my brother a reason to stop buying them for me.”

Not that he actually was, but she wouldn’t put it past him if he started.

            “But what about your skirt?” Mirai asked, carefully holding onto the treat with both hands.

            “It’ll be easy to clean if we get to it now.”

Mirai nodded her head, mouthing at the new ice cream carefully— _care, ful, ly_ ………

            “So I guess that means we should go to your apartment then.”

And for the second time, Mirai almost dropped her food.


	3. Tell Me (Part One).

            “It’s not much… but please come in…”

            “Hm.”

Mirai glanced back towards Mitsuki and realized that she should probably move quickly, for the sake of both of their clothing. She unlocked the door and pushed it open. She let Mitsuki enter first and slipped into the small apartment afterward. She took her time closing and locking the door as the brunette removed her shoes and stepped up into the small entryway. Mirai slowly turned and did the same. “T-this way,” she softly stammering, squeezing past the other female. Mitsuki followed silently, taking in her brief surroundings. Nothing really of note, but that, in and of itself, was worth paying attention to. The apartment hardly looked lived in at all. Mirai knelt down and grabbed a couple of shorts and sweatpants from her drawer. 

 Being courteous, Mirai offered the sweatpants to her guest. Mitsuki took them and turned around fluidly, fingers finding the buttons to her skirt. Immediately, Mirai spun on her heels, nervously trying to free herself of her lower garments. Mitsuki paused, noticing the movement, but spared the other female of a comment. Though the changing session was brief, Mirai’s nerves were alight. She kept glancing over to the brunette, trying to catch her gaze, to see if she could catch her lingering. She was confused; she had so many questions to ask. In the end, she realised that _she_ was the only one with the lingering gaze. She caught sight of Mitsuki’s legs as she pulled off her leggings. Mirai let out a tiny yelp before directing her attention elsewhere.

The cursed warrior didn’t think she would be the Nase’s type or _any_ of the Nases’ type. Not that she even _thought_ about it!! The bespectacled girl didn’t even know if _she_ had a type _herself_! M-Maybe Akihito-senpai was her type and possibly... Hiroomi-senpai was too. The Nase family was quite attractive, yes, but out of all her possible options, she would have gone with Akihito. N-not that she had a choice or anything!

There was shuffling. Mirai smoothed her hands over her now covered hips before pivoting towards the other female. Her gaze was set on the floor. Maybe she did have a choice..? She brought her hands together momentarily before lifting them and adjusting her glasses.

           “I should get started on dinner,” she excused herself, but then Mitsuki just:

           “No. I’ll do it. I’ll see what you have.”

           “I-it’s troublesome! You’re a guest! You don’t have to worry—”

           “It’s fine. Consider it an apology for spilling your ice cream.”

Mirai opened her mouth to protest with _something_. Instead, she turned her head away and curled her fingers towards her palms. Mitsuki relaxed then and sighed silently as she made her way towards the kitchen. As she suspected, there was… practically nothing in the fridge or the pantry: bundles of ramen, rice, the smallest baggy of chopped leeks she had _ever_ seen, eggs, and one onion that looked like it was on its way out. Mitsuki closed her eyes, pitying Mirai’s living state before she began cooking.

The pink-haired fighter relaxed against her bed and basked in the amazing smell of food as the aroma began to swell. She didn’t have much; she was embarrassed for a number of reasons, but the fact that Mitsuki-senpai managed to put together something so delicious (-smelling) made her happy. Mirai sat up, placing her hands on her legs.

           “Senpai! Do you need any help in there?”

           “No, thanak you. Where’s the curry powder?”

           “It’s in the cabinet! A-above the stove.”

           “Thank you.”

Mirai didn't feel comfortable just sitting there. She wanted to help or just do something in general. She mustered her courage and eventually pulled her legs over the bed. Unsurely, she took questioning steps towards her own kitchen, halting some distance behind Mitsuki.

           “It’s not ready yet.”

           “I know. I just…” Mirai sighed softly, stepping closer towards the brunette. She placed her hands on Mitsuki’s back, and she could feel the other’s posture straighten and still. “Please tell me what that kiss meant.”

Mirai was tired of dancing around in her mind, and she was tired of avoiding it. She wanted to know more. Mitsuki figured that would be the case, but right now, she couldn’t lend her mind to that questioning.

           “Later,” she began. “After everything’s finished, I’ll tell you what it means.”

           “Okay…"

Mitsuki knew that that was a let down for the other spirit warrior, but Mirai would have to take it for now. Mitsuki was glad that the ramen would be her distraction, though it wouldn’t take very long at all for everything to be prepared. And with this cute, fragile girl leaning against her, Mitsuki’s mind hadn’t drifted very far from her troubles at all.


	4. Tell Me (Part Two).

The ramen finished, and Mitsuki had even taken the opportunity to write out a shopping list for Mirai to refer to. The pink haired girl shrunk slightly as she listened to the other female’s chastising. She tried to stick up for herself. Yes, food was important! Of course, she wanted to have more things. Well, not _many_ more things, but… Mitsuki shook her head and insisted that Mirai stop living on the bare minimum. The Nase soon stopped her admonishments and sighed, coming to sit down next to her classmate. When she heard Mirai’s situation was bad, she couldn’t have imagined it was _this_ bad. She said that she would help the clumsy spirit warrior find more hunts. Mitsuki wouldn’t hold her hand, but she would give the other female a leg up at least – a chance to get ahead on the competition. Mirai firmly stated that she wouldn’t want special treatment, and Mitsuki stated that it was nothing of the sort.

            “Think of me as a temporary informant – to give you an edge until your situation evens out, I suppose. We’re working together, which isn’t necessarily unheard of. If you still fail to take care of the demons ahead of time, then I guess you truly can’t be helped.”

            “Ah! You don’t really think that, do you?” Mirai perked up, appearing every bit worried.

            “Perhaps, but that’s a conversation for another day.” Mitsuki motioned her hand towards the table. “Let’s eat.”

            “Right.”

The two females allowed their manners to take precedence over their hunger, and soon after, they began to eat. Mirai mulled over the kiss again, and of course, Mitsuki did the same. She thought of that kiss, of how she would explain it, and how Mirai would react. Then she thought about _not_ explaining it and simply dodging Mirai until she found a desirable answer. No, that definitely wouldn’t work. Mitsuki found herself sighing out loud. Perhaps she had been too impulsive without much forethought. Troubling, troubling.

            “Senpai…”

            Mitsuki lifted her gaze, looking across to the other female.

            “I’m incredibly curious. I’ve been thinking about it all this time, but…”

            “But?”

Mirai sat quiet for a long time. Mitsuki watched her for a little while and set her chopsticks down next to her bowl. She lowered her hands down to her lap.

            “I’ll wait to tell you then.”

            “…”

            “It wouldn’t be fair to let you know my thoughts over an action so trivial. I’ve yet to… sort them out.”

            “I understand.”

            “I’ll try not to leave you in the dark for too long.”

            “Please! Take your time. If it’s an answer worth waiting for, I don’t mind…” Mirai smiled, tilting her head to the side. “But my heart will be fluttering the entire time.”

Mitsuki stared at the smiling spirit warrior and closed her eyes, lips curving up ever so slightly.

            “Me too,” the Nase agreed quietly.

            Mirai sighed, pressing a hand against her chest. “Glad to know I’m not the only one.” She laughed nervously, lowered her hand, and peered at Mitsuki. “Even though you appear so collected, to know that you’ll be nervously thinking of this too… I don’t know, it just fills me with relief.”

The brunette took in the other female’s words and nodded her head slowly. She wanted to affirm that there was no reason for worry, to say that she would get her thoughts in order soon. But she never was the sort to fill someone with false hopes. Mirai went back to eating, shoveling more of it into her mouth in what felt like record time. Mitsuki watched in dumbfounded fascination. W-was she really that hungry? The Nase pressed the tip of her chopsticks against her lips, turning her head away. Now she was feeling bad for such an inadequate meal. Mirai jumped up, setting her bowl down quickly.

            “Ah! Our skirts! I forgot to set them to wash.”

            “I’m sure they’ll be fine,” Mitsuki tried to assure. At the very least, there would be ice cream crust, which wasn’t appealing in any way, but...

            The bespectacled female shook her head, gathering the clothes. “I want it to be ready by the time you leave. I-I don’t want to waste your time lingering around for such a minor thing!”

Their eyes met. Mirai resembled a flustered bird, her hair slightly askew from shaking her head so passionately. Mitsuki blinked before rolling her hand, palm skyward.

            “As you wish,” the brunette stated with a sigh.

Mirai relaxed and muttered that she would be right back. She exited to the bathroom. As the water began to run, Mitsuki stared at the almost completely finished bowl of ramen across from her. She exhaled heavily and went back to her own meal. No point in letting it go cold. She stood up a little while after and headed to the kitchen. Might as well clean up the mess she made. It was a good way to pass the time.

It was another distraction.

The water cut off somewhere behind her, and she heard the excited pitter-pattering of feet. A door creaked open, and Mirai deposited the skirts into the extra small dryer. The door creaked closed again after the machine started. There was no movement.

            “Finish up your ramen. Don’t let your food go cold,” Mitsuki called over her shoulder, turning the water down so the other female could hear her.

            Mirai’s ankles knocked together as she stood straight. “R-right! Sorry, senpai!”

Mitsuki shook her head and continued about her task. This girl, this girl... She paused. The Nase’s face felt a bit warm as she realised the situation they were in. This was slightly domestic, was it not?! She pressed her lips against the back of her wet hand, glancing off to a corner. Mirai panted softly as she entered the kitchen, extending out the bowl to the other female. Mitsuki snapped out of her thoughts and turned around to face her classmate.

            “What’d you do?”

            “I just– You were– Dishes–!” Mirai panted.

            Mitsuki glanced down to the bowl before taking it with both of her hands. “You didn’t wolf the rest of this down, did you..?”

            Mirai nodded emphatically.

            The brunette bunched up her brows. “There was hardly anything left. You didn’t have to.”

            “‘m sorry!”

Mitsuki rolled her eyes and faced the sink again. Yes, it was definitely domestic in here. It wasn’t her fault though, for the record. She shut off the water and shook her right hand, putting the bowl on the drying rack with her left. She searched for a moment before settling on a paper towel to dry her hands. Mirai, after catching her breath, wandered out of the kitchen to busy herself with some minor things. Mitsuki touched up the kitchen. When she turned around, Mirai was there. The pink haired warrior closed the gap between the two of them and paused.

Mitsuki watched for a moment, feeling her heart beat faster in her chest. Somehow she just knew, but even still, the kiss was still unexpected. They stood there in silence, but Mitsuki brought her hands up and cupped the other girl’s face.

If Mitsuki was expected to have answers for the first kiss, then she would leave the meaning of this one to Mirai. After all, that seemed fair, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Basically a year later, I decided to update. Or rather, I found the ability to. All chapters prior to this one have been updated or rewritten.


End file.
